Fluids Analyst

Responsibilities

• Own the full lifecycle of fluids prediction and data for the team — from first-order sizing models through correlated, test-anchored models used for flight.
• Build and maintain 1D fluid network and transient system models of engine and vehicle fluid systems to predict pressure drop, flow capability, and thermal performance.
• Perform early-phase simulation and trade studies to inform architecture selection, line and orifice sizing, valve and regulator selection, and pressurization schedules before hardware is committed.
• Predict flow capability and pressure budgets across the system: line and fitting losses, flow distribution and manifold balance, cavitation and choked-flow margin, NPSH, and engine inlet conditions.
• Analyze transient behavior — water hammer, priming and chill-in, valve sequencing, blowdown and ullage collapse, tank pressurization and thermal stratification.
• Perform CFD analysis of valves, manifolds, and other internal-flow components to resolve loss coefficients, flow distribution, and local behavior that lumped models cannot capture.
• Perform thermal-fluid analysis including two-phase and cryogenic behavior, heat leak, insulation performance, and conjugate heat transfer in fluid components.
• Define the instrumentation and measurement requirements needed to validate your models — specify what gets measured, where, at what rate, and to what accuracy.
• Support component-level and system-level test campaigns: write analysis-driven test objectives and predictions and set red lines and expected values.
• Own reduction and analytics of fluids test data — build the data pipelines, automate processing across runs, quantify uncertainty, and turn raw channels into engineering quantities.
• Correlate models against test and flight data, quantify model error, and drive the updates that improve predictive accuracy over time.
• Establish and maintain the team's analysis methods, model libraries, fluid property data, and validation standards so results are repeatable and reviewable.
• Perform anomaly investigation and root cause analysis using test and flight data; reconstruct off-nominal events and recommend corrective action.
• Balance model fidelity against schedule — know when a hand calculation is sufficient and when the problem warrants CFD.
• Communicate analysis results and their uncertainty clearly to designers, test engineers, and leadership, and document methods, assumptions, and conclusions in review-ready form.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience performing fluid system analysis for flight vehicles, propulsion systems, or other high-performance hardware.
• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer, including compressible flow, two-phase flow, and transient system behavior.
• Experience building 1D fluid network or transient system models with tools such as Flownex, AFT (Fathom/Arrow/Impulse), EASY5, GFSSP, Simulink, or equivalent in-house codes.
• Hands-on experience with commercial or open-source CFD (ANSYS Fluent, Siemens STAR-CCM+, or OpenFOAM) applied to internal flow problems.
• Proficiency with Python (NumPy, pandas) or MATLAB for model development, data reduction, and automation of analysis workflows.
• Experience reducing and interpreting real test data, including correlating analytical predictions against measurements.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience performing fluid system analysis for flight vehicles, propulsion systems, or other high-performance hardware.
• Direct experience with rocket engine, launch vehicle, or spacecraft propulsion fluid systems.
• Experience with cryogenic fluids (LOX, methane, hydrogen, nitrogen, helium), including chill-in, two-phase transients, and thermal stratification.
• Familiarity with real-fluid property libraries and equations of state (REFPROP, CoolProp, NIST data) and their limits of validity.
• Experience analyzing valves, regulators, injectors, or turbopump feed systems, including flow-force and stability behavior.
• Experience supporting propulsion hot-fire testing, cold-flow testing, or vehicle fill/drain operations with live analysis support.
• Experience building automated data pipelines or analytics tooling over large test datasets.
• Familiarity with uncertainty quantification, design of experiments, or statistical model calibration methods.
• Experience with structural or thermal FEA (ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus) for coupled fluid-structure or conjugate heat transfer problems.
• Familiarity with relevant industry standards (AIAA S-080/S-081, ASME BPVC, SAE, and MIL-spec fluid system standards).
• Experience at a fast-moving, hardware-focused startup or early-stage program.

Compensation and Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $130,000 – $190,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.
• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here .

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